5 APRIL 1968, Page 37

Dealing with the Wen

Sir : In 'Spectator's Notebook' (8 March) Mr. Thompson suggests that the pressures caused by population growth in this country give us only two alternatives—'total immersion in megalopolis' or 'cutting the country into ribbons' by creating corridors of growth radiat- ing from London.

Is there not a third choice? That of getting to the real root of the problem and reducing this floodtide of babies. The Family Planning Bill which was passed by Parliament last year empowers local authorities to provide family planning advice and facilities. There is every reason to suppose that the widespread applica- tion of this single measure would materially alter the frightening picture of an ever- expanding population that confronts us all at the moment.

Gilbert H. Archdale Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge